Intelligence and Plans

"Impossible!" Sakura Haruno retorted almost reflexively!

The Kage of a village could be controlled? That's possible if it happened to a ninja village, but Mist Ninja is one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages!

Imagine what it would be like if Tsunade were held captive for over a decade without being discovered, and was subjected to a barrage of absurd and bloody orders?

Sakura's first reaction was utter absurdity. She couldn't believe it!

"It's true, we have plenty of evidence!" Pakura said coldly.

"What kind of methods could control the Mizukage for over a decade?" Sakura asked, her brows furrowed in astonishment.

She still didn't believe it.

That's Kage Level ninja! What kind of methods could control a ninja of the Mizukage's caliber for over a decade?

Impossible, impossible, impossible!

Pakura gave her a deep look.

Sharingan.

"The Sharingan can do that," he said calmly.

Sakura Haruno gasped!

"Sharingan? The Uchiha Clan?"

"Yes... based on the intelligence, he might be Madara Uchiha!" Pakura continued, revealing yet another shocking secret!

Sakura's eyes widened, and she abruptly took a step back!

Madara Uchiha? Why him again?

What is his relationship with the masked ninja he encountered during his time travel?

If Akatsuki could accomplish something like this, having even controlled a major ninja village, then just how powerful is it really?

The thought sent chills down Sakura Haruno.

"What on earth is going on!" She suddenly grabbed Pakura's hand and stared intently into his eyes.

"Don't get agitated, I'll tell you everything!" Pakura said calmly, "But before that, I need to confirm whether you want to join our operation!"

Sakura Haruno took a breath, released Pakura's hand, and calmed herself down before saying, "If everything you said is true, I agree!"

"Then I'll tell you what happened... I hope this information will be helpful for our cooperation in fighting Akatsuki!"

About twenty years ago, Karatachi Yagura took over as the Fourth Mizukage.

At first, everything was normal, but later he became increasingly brutal and implemented many inhumane systems, including a graduation exam system that forced students to kill each other.

He harbored hatred towards Kekkei Genkai clans; the two major Kekkei Genkai clans of Mist Ninja, the Yuki Clan who mastered Ice Release and the Kaguya Clan who mastered Shikotsumyaku, were deliberately suppressed and marginalized during his reign, and were eventually wiped out.

Those who opposed him were all eventually killed by him. Despite the resistance and massacres, those who survived in Kirigakure dared not speak out against him.

Finally, under the rule of the Fourth Mizukage, Kirigakure became known as the "Bloody Mist Village"!

Many people resisted his tyranny back then. Some were ambitious, such as Zabuza, the Demon Zabuza Sakura knew, while others were truly insightful people who cared about the Mist Ninja and wanted to break the bloody shackles he had set up. However, they either failed and died or defected, or strangely became loyal supporters of the Fourth Mizukage.

The bizarre situation and the fact that Kirigakure was constantly losing blood and becoming increasingly weak made everyone gradually realize that only by overthrowing the rule of the Fourth Mizukage could Kirigakure have a future!

This consensus reached its peak when Mei Terumi mastered two Kekkei Genkai, completely transforming the Terumi Clan into Kekkei Genkai family; the Terumi Clan had the ability to resist and a reason to take action, and finally launched a coup.

After a fierce battle, Karatachi Yagura was finally defeated. Before his death, the Fourth Mizukage regained his senses and revealed the shocking secret that he had been controlled by the Sharingan Genjutsu!

"The Genjutsu wasn't broken until she was on her deathbed?" Sakura Haruno's expression was somewhat grave.

"Yes," Pakura said solemnly, "The Fourth Mizukage was once a ninja who deeply loved Mist Ninja. Before he was controlled, Mist Ninja was a united village without conflict..."

He sighed and continued, "We later reviewed many files and documents, and interrogated the loyal ninjas of the Mizukage from back then. Some of them were controlled by Genjutsu, while others were fully conscious. From this information, we discovered traces of Akatsuki."

"The person who controlled the Fourth Mizukage was a member of Akatsuki. Kisame Hoshigaki, the rising star ninja of Mist Ninja, also defected from the village under his influence!"

"Kisame Hoshigaki?" Sakura Haruno frowned. The information Konoha had gathered didn't fully clarify who the Akatsuki members were, and this was the first time she had heard this name.

"Who is he? Did he join Xiao later?" she pressed.

"He was a very burly man, nearly two meters tall, with shark-like stripes on his face, making him easy to recognize," Pakura recalled. "Back then, he had a nickname: the Tailless Tailed Beast. The amount of Chakra within him was astonishing, and he was especially skilled in Water Release. Although his Water Release techniques weren't as precise and agile as yours, their momentum was more imposing, and their power was far more terrifying..."

Sakura Haruno pursed her lips and remained silent; she didn't believe anyone's Water Release was more powerful than hers.

Sakura looked at Pakura, watching him continue, "It's worth noting that after he killed the traitor Suikazan Fuguki, he obtained the Samehada sword. That sword can absorb Chakra, and its effect is astonishing! In short, he is an extremely powerful and dangerous ninja!"

Sakura Haruno pondered for a moment, silently processing the information that Pakura had provided.

"Thank you for the information. This information should be of great help when facing Akatsuki!" She nodded solemnly and said earnestly.

"You're welcome. You've shared Akatsuki's information with us too! Mei Terumi, we're on the same side in fighting Akatsuki. Both villages have been severely damaged by Akatsuki, so we should cooperate even more!" Pakura said seriously. "We'll write more detailed information on a scroll for you to take back."

Unexpectedly, while other ninja villages remained indifferent to or even condoned Akatsuki's evil deeds, there was a village like Mist Ninja that stood up and was willing to join hands with Konoha to actively fight against Akatsuki.

Even Konoha's ally Sunagakure, couldn't be this proactive.

Perhaps only after other ninja villages, like Konoha and Mist Ninja, have been truly harmed by Akatsuki will they realize the threat Akatsuki poses?

But by then, when Akatsuki dares to offend the remaining ninja villages and become a thorn in the side of the entire Shinobi World, Akatsuki will probably have already gained the power to fight against the Shinobi World...

Sakura Haruno sighed inwardly.

This visit to Kirigakure was absolutely worthwhile. The information we obtained alone was enough to make the trip worthwhile.

However, the more information Sakura obtained about Akatsuki, the more alarmed she became. They could even control a large country, so why did they need more power?

What exactly are they trying to do?

Faced with Akatsuki's power, Sakura Haruno's heart began to sink; how would she fare against the Sharingan Genjutsu that even the Kage of a village could control? Could she withstand it?

However, these are topics for later consideration; the girl suppressed her chaotic thoughts and asked, "Let's get back to the original topic, what do you need me to do for you?"

"It's simple. While Mei Terumi firmly believes she's right, if she were to kill her opponents simply because they oppose her, she'd become the next Karatachi Yagura. Therefore, today's Jonin meeting with tomorrow is our last chance. If we still can't convince them..."

Sakura glanced at him. "Are you going to make a move already?"

Pakura shook his head. "We are no longer the Bloody Mist Village. The Mizukage will engage in heated debates with them in meetings, even deliberately putting himself at a disadvantage to stall them; while we are responsible for collecting evidence. Do you know why the Grand Elder opposes the open policy?"

Before the girl could answer, he continued, "Because his family is the largest smuggling ring in the Land of Water. They've always controlled the smuggling of high-quality minerals and advanced ninja tools from the Land of Water and Mist Ninja. Selling these strategic resources is more than just smuggling; it's treason! They control several smuggling routes. Once the open policy is implemented, their smuggling business will vanish instantly, resulting in a loss of countless dollars!"

Sakura Haruno immediately pouted.

What the elder said in the meeting room sounded quite reasonable.

Unexpectedly, he turned out to be the kind of person who "talks about principles but is only interested in business."

"You can't judge a book by its cover. The Grand Elder still acts like a loyal minister who dares to voice dissenting opinions," Sakura said sarcastically.

Pakura shook his head, offering no further comment, and simply said, "Collect evidence of their smuggling and treason, and make it public in the village. Let the villagers know the true face of the Elder who has been inciting them, and the voices opposing the opening policy will naturally disappear. That's our plan. If Lord Mizukage still can't subdue them by today, then at tomorrow morning's meeting, we will randomly select a team to lead a raid on the Elder's family's secret base, which is their smuggling warehouse!"

"Is it really that simple, that rushed?" Sakura Haruno said. "I thought you would be more thorough when dealing with something this important."

"The more detailed and time-consuming the plan, the easier it is to leak out," Pakura said helplessly. "The simpler it is, the easier it is to achieve. At first, we planned to just kill the Grand Elder, but although that would be swift and decisive, the consequences would be too great."

Sakura Haruno chuckled dryly. This simple, crude, and direct style of doing things... Kirigakure really does have that Russian flair!

"In short, just follow my lead," Pakura concluded. "Plans may not always go as expected, so we'll play it by ear."

"Okay, if even you don't understand the specifics of the plan, the enemy certainly won't be able to take any targeted precautions..." Sakura shook her head, somewhat speechless.

Pakura raised his eyebrows helplessly, said it was nothing, and turned to leave with her.

"Oh, right," Sakura Haruno asked one last time before leaving, "Why did you have to come to me with this kind of thing?"

"It was a spur-of-the-moment decision," Pakura, turning to look at Sakura, "But we trust the reputation of the Konoha Ninja."

"That's all?" Sakura Haruno was a little dumbfounded, and retorted, "You guys are pretty naive!"

Pakura stopped and sighed, "Want to hear the real reason?"

"You." She stopped in her tracks.

"We are desperately short of combat power, but we can't find anyone more trustworthy and capable of handling this mission than you." He curled his lips into a bitter smile.

Pakura stepped forward again.

"It's that simple. After the Bloody Mist Village era and the battle that overthrew the Fourth Mizukage, Kirigakure... is now like this."

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